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We have a new girl at the barn! I’m calling today (12.17.2015) Day One of training Miss Pony (that is her literary filler name, until we decide on what shall stick and I can do her introduction post) even though I worked with her yesterday too.

While she is a bomb-proof [former] pony ride pony there are some holes in her groundwork. As a result I’m training her through Clinton Anderson’s big green book that I’ve mentioned before, Clinton Anderson’s DownUnder Horsemanship – Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders. As I go through it from the beginning I will mark the exercises I do and relay the notes taken on how she did with it that day. I gotta say this little pistol is way more than just a cute painted pony 😉

Here is the training breakdown of her official Day One in training:

The Hula Hoop(pg.49)
She had absolutely no issues with this. she stands still and doesn’t care about coming into my bubble. I could touch her nose with the stick at first so I simply backed her up a bit. It was also easy to keep her eyes. Perfection.

Desensitizing to the Rope(pg.51)
No issues here either. I slung it around every part of her body from both sides. She moved her back legs only slightly once or twice at first but she made no attempt to kick or move. It did not last long and her face/ears were calm the whole time.

Desensitizing to the Stick & String (pg.55)
Again, no issues. She’d already been familiar with the lunge whip apparently. The stick is used to give praise more often than spank anyway, and she’s rubbed down with it often to keep it positive. No issues with the string. I did not slap the ground.

Disengage the Hindquarters(pg.60)
Will need more work but she did it from both sides at the end. I’ll need to count my cues with rhythm as recommended and remember the proper order for asking through demanding. She does tend to back up so I’ll need to stay with her behind the driveline. I also need to be sure I’m not settling for the wrong feet movement. She needs to cross over correctly.

Backing Up (pg.66)
Backs up really well with a rope wiggle now. I did reinforce with gentle taps to her chest or marching to get more steps after consistent single steps.

Yielding the Forequarters(pg.77)
NEEDS MAJOR WORK. When pressure is applied to her fore-end she comes into my space and shoves her shoulder at me. I need a shorter, firmer crop to use in this exercise so she can’t close the distance before I get a good spank in. If she does not shove into me, and sometimes even after she does, she’ll move to go around me. I did back her up back into place when she did that but perhaps not the recommended 20 steps. I’ll pay more attention to that next time, adding more enthusiasm. The “Common horse problems” solution in the book does not work if I can’t get a good smack in. She pushes against anything, even air taps. She is also not in any position to back up as she’s already made contact with me. More help is definitely needed to master this exercise.

We shall see how our review of these go tomorrow, and I hope to have an introductory post with lots of adorable pictures made out for her very soon! 🙂

Sunday marked a momentous occasion for myself but mostly for Arizona, as she made an amazing return to the working world after an extensive eight-month long break. Because of seasonal illnesses, the flooding, a bad case of thrush, family obligations, and in general – life – Arizona had not been ridden since January. This weekend I was presented with the opportunity to ride with my barn owner and friend, Alberto, and quickly became excited knowing this was to be our comeback!

After such a long break I was worried of course for my own safety and anxious to see how she would handle herself. She has never been a BAD horse, no obstructive habits, no crazy bolting episodes, but she does spook sometimes. Some rides there are no scares and some rides there may be 1-2. When I first bought her last year she hadn’t been seriously ridden in about four years. Once in a while someone would hop on or even take her out but nothing serious or consistent. That first ride on her the steering was a bit rough and she didn’t enjoy being worked at all. She also had a huge spook right out of the gate. We kept at it and she got better and better.

This past weekend was flawless! We rode for about an hour 1/2 in the fields on a route we haven’t even gone through before. There were no surprises however we did ride with one of her barn mates that is fresh out of 30 days of training. Even she was wonderful. The unused fields were serene with a decent breeze. It was still pretty hot for 8:30 in the morning but at least there were no mosquitoes!

I’m beyond proud of my girl. I think she may have even enjoyed herself this time, being happy to get out and explore a new place with her horsey pal Luna. (Beautiful buckskin mare pictured below, ridden by Alberto.) Either way she sure takes care of me and I couldn’t love her more ❤

Please put your hands and hooves together for the newest member of our family – Color Me Dust Coal. He is a registered American Miniature Horse yearling with the gentlest disposition. Merlin, as we’ve affectionately named him, came to us Easter weekend from a lovely miniature horse show-breeder in Beeville, Texas. My kids and I drove the hour up to meet him on Friday and by Saturday he was at home in the barn with his new stablemates.

Since then we have done a few introductory exercises for him and Arizona but in the end I’m not sure she is up for having a little brother. She’s become the barn alpha and while Merlin is nowhere near challenging I think she just plain dislikes him. I’ve found her to act possessive, almost like a dog or even a human would, over my attention. If I dare (I say ‘dare’ humorously of course) to scratch another horse out of her stall window she finds herself over by the window too, standing just so she may casually obstruct my reach. Zoni is a funny one with a mind all her own, she knows what she does and does not like and she will tell you. You have only to listen. She may or may not ever come around to sharing her space and time with him but regardless I heart them both.

My immeasurably amazing and beautiful daughter Summer has finally found herself a perfect position at the barn since his arrival. She enjoys working with Merlin, helping him to better learn to lead, tie, and stand still. He’s so good natured and sweet that I can tell he will not be difficult to train and in doing so I’ll more easily and safely get to teach Summer how to do a lot too. She has gotten accustomed to feeding him and cleaning out his stall, as well as other things. Since Merlin has been home he’s already picked up on a couple key things himself, such as the fact that we love to groom and pet around here! We get in his stall and love all over him as frequently as possible and he’s adjusted to all the attention considerably. In fact I believe he looks forward to it now.

It’s been a great couple weeks now and I still only have good things to say. At one point my friend Sabrina and I gave him a bath and that didn’t go as well as I would have thought but it was the perfect launch pad for further training with him. It was valuable insight about him and his reaction level and ultimately how he should be handled.

And I don’t think I’ve mentioned just how incredibly, heart-stoppingly, adorable he is! He is the type of mini you put tiny shoes on and take him with you everywhere; into department stores and to the dentist. Just kidding, but not about the cuteness part!

Hi, mom! What are you doing?

More on the little man later as it’s time to fire up the story side of my brain and work on my newest novella series. Until then, here’s one last picture!

It’s a sad time out at the barn for my Zoni Poni as she begins a four-limbed battle with bacterial fungus of the pasterns, aka, mud fever. Each leg is affected and the back two particularly are in some discomfort as they are slightly inflamed. The mud in the pasture has reached an all time high this spring and it’s just beginning to –slowly– dry up. I’m not sure how much good it’ll do us though since we’re expecting three days of stormy rain weather again this week. It’s getting to be pretty miserable out there for our horses and I hope none of the others are affected as we truck through it.

This was when I discovered it. Monday morning I hand washed the mud off her legs and there it was.

And this was from earlier today. All dried up and being treated with Banixx spray.

And so my poor miserable horse is confined to her stall until it clears up, which could take weeks up to the entire month. I’ll be going out to hand walk her for a little bit each day and hopefully getting some grass will help cheer her up. She was visibly depressed today when I went out there, as last night was the first night she was refused turn-out. If today is any indication of her spirits it’s going to be a rough few weeks for her, but as her human I will be doing my best!

After our little walk/graze I sat in her stall for a while, just dozing off and enjoying the breeze and her company.

I’m not even sure what the right thing to say is, but all I can think is that the world lost an amazing person today.

At 12:20am a special friend of mine was taken by cancer.

Michel entered my life when I was no more than eight years old. She was my mom’s boss and friend and then became my riding instructor. I used to call her, “my riding lesson teacher.” She was one hell of an accomplished horsewoman and always tried to teach me how to best my fears. If I was too scared to lope on my own she would wait for me to make my come around then hit Tara on the but for proper encouragement. Tara was a very special horse to me. I lovingly refer to her as my first horse even though she was only mine every Wednesday during the summers, for my lessons. She had a fearlessness worthy of channeling if there was something I felt I couldn’t do. When I doubted myself she knew better and she forced me to prove it to myself.

And she knew how to give a kid a good time, those riding lessons were amazing. My favorite day of the week has always been Wednesday because of the joy it used to bring. We’d travel all over her vast acreage on horseback… The little lake, up and down hills, on the streets, and of course in the arena. I learned so much from posture to hopping over poles. For our last lesson day of the summer we all hung around and gave our horses/ponies (actually I was the only one not on a pony!) a nice bath and I gave Tara her favorite treat – sugar cubes. We followed it up with games including bob for apples and snacks. My brother and sister and I would waste hours playing the original Oregon Trail game on her computer, or playing hide and seek all over the house. And I remember just before we moved is when she first brought home her prized buckskin, Slick. He’s an old timer now but just as beautiful as I remember him. I’ll never forget those days.

I also spent a lot of time at the flower shop when my mom went to work. I made best friends with the shop animals and used to request to clean the litter boxes! I guess I liked to be helpful; I even had a few floral customers of my own. Michel would let me craft my own arrangements and even let people buy them – which they did! It was an exciting and fun thing for me. I even got to know the attic ghost! When I was brave enough to go all the way up there I could swear I saw him too. Sometimes I’d go with her on deliveries which I always liked because the van was so big, it was fun to ride in. That little shop on Elm Street was like a second home to me.

From Michel’s Facebook Page

Since leaving Missouri I’ve been back to visit only once and it was emotional and very draining for me for so many reasons, but luckily I did get to go to Washington to visit the shop. And Michel. I asked her about Tara and looked all around the place, remembering every little nook and hideaway I used to play in. All the incredible crafts and floral designs everywhere, and the overwhelmingly nostalgic and comforting smell of the basket room… I was 17 then and I’m 25 now. That was the last time I got to see her in person. Last year for my wedding she was sweet enough to send us wedding party flowers as a gift. I wish I could have hugged her for it. Today the bouquets and corsages are still all over my house as decorations.

I could go on, like about how I had my very first kiss in her kitchen or about the time her shirt flew open at a barrel race and we couldn’t stop laughing… But I won’t. I can’t.

This afternoon I took Arizona out for a ride in Michel’s honor as I will do again this weekend, since I cannot attend her memorial. I hope she felt the wind in my hair from heaven!

Michel was an integral part of my childhood and I’m so very sad she’s gone. I can’t say she lost her life to cancer, because she very much lived in spite of it. So many loved her and called her friend and family and I weep with them all today. I pray that this Saturday, her celebration of life is everything she would want. I hope there are more smiles than tears. I wish I could be there but I’ll be thinking about you. And I’ll think of you anytime I see a pretty bouquet or a bulldog. Say hi to my sweet Tara for me.

I’m sorry blog for I have neglected. It’s been two months since my last entry. I’m back and ready to write about my latest adventure with my Zoni Poni.

Yesterday, neighboring barn buddy Erika and I took Arizona and Whiskey out for a ride around the county roads. We met up at the field short cut between our barns and then continued down a ways, finally stopping at an off-road made of dirt that intersected the two roads. The ditch between us and the road was full of water and instead of going around it I coaxed Arizona through it. The silly horse will plunge into the ocean as far as I’ll let her but balk at a small pool of water on the ground. It was no matter in the end though as she tromped through it like a champ. Whiskey girl didn’t like it at first either but then she too was through it.

We had our share of dogs that day and I myself noticed more than the usual handful. I know which houses has them but some don’t always come out, and I guess I didn’t know just how many each one has. Seriously, each property has at least 3-6 dogs and there are at least 10 houses I consistently pass by. Only 1 or 2 of those properties have their dogs contained in some way so they always come up barking their best at Arizona who usually just flicks an ear and walks on by. Sometimes though if they come up too fast from the side she’ll spook but that didn’t really happen this time.

A while back I wrote an entry about a particular ride during which Arizona spooked pretty bad at the very end, at the property next to ours, when their dog – whom Arizona knows very well – ran up at us from the side. The dog was running fast and took me by surprise too so I don’t blame her but anyway, I digress. This time Arizona spooked in darn near the same spot only there was nothing to spook at! I am not even sure what to call it. I think she skirted to the side and then hopped, because all I can really remember is flying up from my seat, gripping with my legs and losing the reins. I felt myself fall a little to the left and up I went, and it’s funny my thought process had already worked through me landing on the ground and I’d accepted my fate, but it didn’t happen. I didn’t grab the horn but I reached for her mane/neck instead for bracing I guess and on I stayed. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to falling off since I dropped off that bucking pony when I was 8ish… I feel like I don’t know how I stayed on but then again I do think I’m not giving myself enough credit. I’ve always been good about sitting spooks – *knock on wood* – and I think this was just another reflection of decent balance. (Thanks, mom!)

What’s funny is I did just take my feet out of the stirrups and let my legs hang because they were seriously cramped by then, just a few strides before she did that. So not only did I drop the reins by accident I had zero support from my stirrups. It’s not like she ever spooks at stray/dangling tack in saddle or on the ground so I’d be hard-pressed to believe that’s what did ALL THAT. They weren’t even flopping around her sides at the slow walk she was doing. It just makes me laugh (I’m glad I can laugh about it) that the moment I try to relax a bit on the final few yards home all that happens.

Just past the mailboxes there on the right is where it happened both times. To further desensitize her to that area I will probably hand-lead her up and down the road a few times and then ride up and down the road a few more.

All in all it was a great ride. Two hours from mount to dismount and I’m beyond saddle sore today but it always makes me proud. I get to take my horse out and enjoy a breezy Sunday almost every week and she always takes care of me. I’ll take the sore!

I’m ashamed to say this is another delayed post, but better late than never. A couple weekends ago on Sunday October 12th my friend Krista and I finally made it out to the beach with our horses after numerous failed attempts. The weather was against us and it would seem even so that day…

The road to the beach was not an easy one. The morning was a complete mess and all us brave souls on the freeway were going at a crawl because we could not see ten feet in front of us. A search of the rain radar said that our area of Padre Island happened to be cleared up, and sure enough when we got far enough to see through a bit of the darkness we spotted some blue! And brightness! There was sky to be seen after all! When we got there we found ourselves a nice spot on the side of the beach the city doesn’t care about (so we didn’t have to worry about leaving poops behind 😉 ) and retrieved the horses.

I took my boots and socks off and stashed those babies away and the sand was cool and squishy between my toes. I remember noting the horses weren’t as wet as I figured they would be given what we’d just driven through. Arizona was a little antsy about the experience initially after unload, looking up and down the beach with curious eyes. Zoni moved around as much as she could after I tied her up and began grooming her off but it didn’t take long to do since she wasn’t that dirty to begin with.

Just as we were about to pull the saddles from the trailer those black clouds we THOUGHT were behind us crept up and released rain upon us. Again we were getting soaked by the second. A certified downpour threatened to ruin our ride once again even though we’d already “won” by reaching the beach. We talked a bit about leaving but neither of us wanted to forfeit like that – again! We stood huddled next to the trailer, freezing, blinded by the run-off from our eyelashes and just waited. I don’t know how long we gave it but eventually Krista said “Well we’re already all wet, can’t get any worse, let’s just do this. Let’s watch for lightning and ride.”

If you click this picture open you should be able to clearly see the giant raindrops as they fell on us. We could barely keep our eyes open against them!

So there I went, hopping around for body heat and in spirited rejuvenation. We saddled on up and even though there were a few prominent thunder crashes we didn’t see much of the lightning. When it came time to get on I found that with the sinking sensation of the sand and the lack of my inches given from my boots I couldn’t get on her the old fashioned way. Krista had to get down and help me mount up using the trailer tire hub — and then shorten my stirrups! #ShortGirlProblems

And then off we went!!!

The first and second time the waves touched her feet Arizona made little jumps back. After that she was in LOVE! She would veer to toward the water constantly asking if we could go back in. Krista and I rode for a good while up and down the beach, trotting and loping some, going into the water and back out of it and Krista was able to get a lot of neat pictures for me. Shout out to my Lifeproof case for iPhone for providing us with photos even during a storm!

Eventually the rain stopped completely and the sky was as vibrant and friendly as ever. The last time I took Arizona into the water during the ride I let her lead the way. She went in so deep my feet were starting to disappear. The water felt amazing to me even as little as I felt it, I can only imagine how it felt to her. When I finally took her back out again Krista and I explored a little bit of the sand dunes before heading back to the trailer. It was a lot of fun letting her take care of me. It was liberating to only have to hold on and trust my horse. She’s a great mare. “They know their feet better than we do,” Krista summed it up nicely. “Trust them to take care of you.” Next time I definitely want to ride up and down those some more. On that final stretch back to the truck I dropped my reins, threw my arms up to the sky and closed my eyes and just felt. “This feels so amazing!” was my personal understatement of the day.

After tacking down we let Arizona and Betty have a good roll.

The second Arizona was up after she’d gotten two solid rolls in she was headed straight back to the water. I cheerfully plugged along side her, recording the experience and feeling happy to share it with her. It’s so fulfilling to see such a happy animal!

This day was one of my greatest experiences in horse ownership yet. The fresh air blew any negative thought I could’ve possibly been having away and the waves took it out to sea for me. It was a very much needed bonding experience for Arizona and I, and a healthy, exciting break from the day to day back at the barn. I know I am truly blessed.

Thank you Krista for not only your kind offer to go riding but your generosity in taking me and my girl with you. You’ve been a great horsey friend and it has been my pleasure getting to know you better! You rock, girl!

Today I enjoyed the rewarding splendor of what consistency and patience can provide a gal and her horse. I also received an uncomplimentary reminder that my horse, not unlike myself, is a female.

What I mean by this is…

The Good: I had intentions to ride today, however I happily settled for some bareback ground mounting practice. I know I can get on her just fine with the proper leverage, but in order to improve my body awareness properly I need to work both on and off the horse. Just riding around bareback isn’t enough for me. I finally have to learn this too. Since she was standing much better than times previous I really felt proud and confident that she could take a bit of banging around.

Arizona, showing me the fruits of my labors. Standing quiet, no chewing, no fidgeting about, no trying to pick at the grass… Very good job, girl!

I wasn’t having success actually getting my leg up onto her back enough to get on but I didn’t get too discouraged. I quickly rubbed her down in the areas where I was putting pressure after each attempt and I just let myself focus on the movements I needed to be making. My clumsy self even threw my shin into her hip bone a time or two and she stood like a champ. I was very impressed with her, more than enough to keep me positive about my failures.

The Bad: I wanted to reward Arizona for being such a good girl for me all morning and turned her loose to graze for a while. Sabrina and I took to the hitching post next, for further practicing my form. Just like a horse, a little success builds confidence! And it worked great. Sabrina gave it a try for fun first and third time was a charm! She hit it every time after that.

Well… When it was my turn I greatly underestimated the necessary momentum because of how much shorter the post is than Arizona’s back. I didn’t want to throw myself clean to the other side so I dropped my effort down a notch. Up and over I go only I begin to realize I’m not going to make it. My legs were already hooked around but my upper body didn’t follow enough, and I was dragging myself down. I just held on and let it happen, refusing to accept it, and when I had reached complete upsidedownness Sabrina was laughing hysterically and my arms were in pain. She shouted, “You’re a sloth! You’re a sloth!” between strong bouts of laughter. It was pretty funny to me too but my arms had lost their steam and down I went. After this initial try though, I stuck my landing successfully each time.

A slight wood-burn as a result of scraping my arm down the post to hang on. Some bruising, popped blood vessels and torn up skin but it was worth it.

And now…

The Mareish: I guess Miss Zoni just wouldn’t be true to herself if she didn’t give me the horseverbial finger every once in a while right? But really Arizona, on such a GOOD day?? She decided that when it came time to get put up she wasn’t going to take it. I’ve never had so much trouble catching her than I have today in all this time. She made both of us run and exercised us good! When I finally caught her (you could just tell she was thinking “Fine woman, whatever”) I made her arse run circles up and down the small hill beside the barn. It’s enough of an incline to wear her out but hey I figure she wants to run, I make her run. And we’ll build up some topline 😉
I was positively exhausted by this point and it took me a good [sad] while to fully catch my breath. Darn her, making me sweat and stuff. Unfortunately there are no pictures of this. To help make up for it I’m going to share a few pics from our last two rides instead!

Sabrina and Oreo. Her first time out on the roads! They both did amazing . Tuesday, 10/7.

Sabrina and Oreo leading the way back to the barn. I think they look good together 🙂 Tuesday, 10/7.

Letting Zoni dry off some after a really good 1.5 hour ride out on the country roads. It was a good day to be up early. Sunday, 10/5.

Today was a much needed day of easy to grasp lessons for Miss Zoni. We worked on patience and to sum it up: she did great.

I started by tying her up at one of our hitching trees. I groomed her right away because she still had week-old caked on mud on her and I wanted that off pronto.

After she was as curried and brushed as she was gonna get I simply let her stand there. I pulled my chair and water bottle out and sat in the shade, either on my phone or just sitting there, but ignoring her bottom line. We remained this way for a time before I put her saddle on, cinching to varying degrees of tightness as a time, and then the bridle, and then I let her stand there again for a good long while. And I sat ignoring her. Unless she felt like biting at the bark, then I made myself loud and uncomfortable to make her stop.

Something like an hour passes by time I messed with her next. I pulled her onto the wash rack and tied her close so she couldn’t reach any grass, and I sprayed down the post so she wouldn’t chew it. If ever she tried I made the same annoyance of myself to her and it was a nonissue. Once she was good and chilled I ended this block of time by tightening up the chinch good at finished.

After a semi-brief while I began putting weight into the stirrup and pretending to get on. Granted, she was still tied at this point, but she remained still – with her feet and body. She could have still danced about with what space and slack she had but she didn’t.

I decided I was going to try mounting her from the ground solo as well. And as luck would have it after two solid tries I stuck it! It’s maybe a trivial success, but a success to me none the less. She is 15.1 and I am 5″3 and stout! This mounting from the ground stuff isn’t new to me but with her it is. I’ve always used a step ladder, mounting block, fencing, a leg up – whatever was easiest just to get on with minimal strain on her back. Well I wanted to take my lesson further by getting into the saddle and what better day to practice doing it from the ground than this?

Yea. It was a success.

When I got up I patted her down; neck and rump, and told her what an awesome girl she was. I just stayed out and enjoyed the view, and the amazing 80 degree breeze. It’s as cool as it’s ever been since I’ve been here and it was much appreciated after the rotten humid heat. It was a great day to build on my relationship with my horse and her abilities!

When I was satisfied (and now running on a schedule to pick up the kids from school) I dismounted and undid her tack as structured as I put it on, albeit a bit faster. She stood quiet while I put things away and grabbed a few pellets to reward her with.

Thank you to my girl for being amazing and receptive. I love her. She is a girls best first-horse-since-childhood hands down.

“Flash back Friday” to the day I truly bought my girl. Signed paperwork and handed over my final dollar and she was 100% MINE!

Things have been happening in this horse-world of mine and it’s time to share.

First of all, I’ve let Powder go. I stopped payment on her and she was sold to Alberto’s good friend and cowboy horse trainer, Art. I deeply enjoyed the time I put into her and I’m sad to say I didn’t even get to say goodbye, it was such a quick ordeal. I will miss her but at least I know I can check in on her now and then. She’s well treated, well trained and she’s in a happy home.

This means my foal plans have also changed. Instead of having Powder and her foal, I’m going to be getting first pick out of the other mares…

Scarlet, the palomino, is due first in March and she’s bred to his dunalino stud.

Then there’s Missy, the sorrel tank with a head like Arizona who is bred to his smokey black stud. She’s a looker and I’m excited to see if she throws a black or possibly even a buckskin.

And last there’s Roxy, the smokey cream dun. She’s bred to the dunalino stud as well and she’s actually the mother of the smokey black stud Missy is bred to! I’m more than excited about her color possibilities as among them are just about every color I’d be happy with – but especially – GRULLA.

My plan is to see if Missy gives me a black foal before passing on it but even then I’m really wanting to hold out for Roxy. There are just so many options for her it’s anybody’s guess but my heart wants a grulla so bad. I guess we’ll see. Can’t wait for spring 2015!

Arizona and I are doing well. I do enjoy being able to focus on her more now that I don’t have two to train, and we’re working on basic groundwork (still) and bareback riding right now. The last time I took her out was Wednesday I believe, and Sabrina and I both took some time on her, working on feeling our seats and learning the glue, as I call it. If my mother self-taught all her horseback riding skills bareback and it taught her to ‘stick like glue’ then so will I.

Now here are some pictures to enjoy.

Taking a pass around Sabrina, doing what I do best. =P

We got in a good thirty minutes at least before we started wearing down the ground in certain places. Thanks to the rain we’d had by then the footing was already starting to go.

I wish the photos did this sunset justice. It was beautiful to be out riding that evening.

Working on standing quiet. Yes, even this is work.

Nothing beats friends and horses! Here is Livi with mama BriBri after taking a walk about the small pasture.

That bareback ass that only equestrians understand! Being dirty is never something to be ashamed of or annoyed with, it shows dedication and hardwork and payoff!

In other Arizona news, she’s picked up wood-chewing something fierce! Without having a vet come out and draw blood to pin-point if there is some sort of mineral/nutrient deficiency, I’ve been trying other possible solutions. Since this is a new habit, and there have been no changes to her diet in a very long time, I’m left to determine that it’s not caused by her food intake, or lack thereof. However of course, if these snazzy diversions don’t work out it’ll be my next expenditure.

Anyway I firmly believe she is bored and frustrated. She does not get a nightly turn-out with my barn owner’s horses and I’m sure that’s no fun. She’s also been seeing 1 or 2 of the other horses chewing up their share of wood lately and you know what they say about copy-catting. In any case, I’ve been dousing the wood in that anti-chew spray and we’ll see how that works. Additionally I’ve started putting her hay in a slow feeder hay net and I’ve tied a small jolly-ball from the ceiling for her to mess with. Hopefully having something to eat for longer periods of time and something to play with will help. Unrelated to the chewing, I also finally got a fly mask for her, as no amount of anti-fly goo or spray or roll-on whatever has been working to keep them out of her poor eyes. She looks rather fetch, no? 😉

Lovely new fly-mask. The mineral/salt blocks help to keep her entertained a little, but aren’t much for actual nutritional value.

Small jolly-ball hanging toy. Here’s hoping to a bit of distraction!

And here’s one last picture of my girl, just because she’s pretty. Look at that gorgeous, slim, powerful QH head!